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On-farm biosecurity protects cattle health: producer manual now available

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Beef Research

Biosecurity: Those practices that prevent or mitigate disease from entering, spreading within or being released from operations that may contain livestock. (source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency)

Cattlemen understand the devastating potential of the introduction, re-occurrence or spread of cattle diseases, and recognize the need to manage risks to protect the viability of their operation. While “biosecurity” is not a term that cattle producers regularly use, many common sense practices already being done on farms across Canada are in line with biosecurity as part of everyday risk management. Continue reading →

Revisiting irradiation

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Beef Research

This article written by Dr. Reynold Bergen, BCRC Science Director, originally appeared in the January 2013 issue of Canadian Cattlemen magazine and is reprinted with permission.

Recent events have renewed interest and discussion regarding the potential use of irradiation to kill harmful bacteria in meat. Irradiation may provide an additional insurance step before meat leaves the plant. Continue reading →

Mythematics: Distorting data for shock value

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Beef Research

This is a guest post written by Karin Schmid, Beef Production Specialist with the Alberta Beef Producers, in collaboration with Dr. Reynold Bergen, BCRC Science Director.

Everyone loves a good statistic, and it is surprisingly easy to warp data to fit a particular message. It happens time and again, slandering beef production on animal welfare, public health and environmental issues, and most recently around the topic of Continue reading →

Part 3 of three-part video series on antimicrobial resistance

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Beef Research

Adding to the discussion on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the latest episode of the Beef Research School focuses on responsible use of antimicrobials by Canadian beef cattle producers. We hear from Dr. Calvin Booker, a veterinary consultant with Feedlot Health Management Services, who addresses common misconceptions. Continue reading →

The skinny on market cows

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Beef Research

This article written by Dr. Reynold Bergen, BCRC Science Director, originally appeared in the April 2013 issue of Canadian Cattlemen magazine and is reprinted with permission.

The odds that an animal will suffer, be injured or die go up drastically whenever a thin, old, weak cow is loaded, transported, unloaded, marketed, held for a week (or longer) at an auction mart while loads are assembled, then reloaded, transported again, and unloaded at a packer. So do the odds that someone will capture that disaster on their smartphone. In a world where nothing can be hidden, we’d better have nothing to hide. Continue reading →

Ractopamine angst

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Beef Research

Russia’s decision to ban imports of meat that may have been produced using ractopamine has led to increased questions about livestock growth promotants. Ractopamine is a beta-agonist used by many cattle feedlots near the end of the feeding period to increase growth rate, feed efficiency, and carcass leanness.

Like vaccines and other veterinary products, all growth promotants Continue reading →

Part 2 of three-part video series on antimicrobial resistance

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Beef Research

Delving deeper into the discussion on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), this episode of the Beef Research School focuses on AMR research and surveillance on beef cattle. We hear from Dr. Tim McAllister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Principal Research Scientist, who explains in detail how AMR develops, summarizes past studies, and explains an upcoming study under the proposed Beef Science Cluster II. Continue reading →

Latest information, videos and events available on BeefResearch.ca

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Beef Research

We strive to keep you up-to-date on the latest news and information related to Canadian beef cattle research and innovation. In addition to publishing articles through this blog on a regular basis, new information is continually added to other areas of our website. Here’s a highlight of some of the webpages, fact sheets, events, links and videos we’ve added lately.

Continue reading →